Determination of a Star
by thaurisil
Summary: Sirius escapes from Azkaban to try find the then only 6-years-old Harry Potter and provide him with true love and friendship. However, many other matters sprout up, making Sirius' time in Privet Drive very eventful.
1. Determination of the Past

DETERMINATION OF A STAR  
  
Summary: Sirius escapes from Azkaban to try and find the then only 6 years old Harry Potter. Just as Harry has begun to find true love and friendship, Sirius is taken away from him.  
  
Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.  
  
A/N: Below  
  
~~~~~~  
  
CHAPTER 1 - DETERMINATION OF THE PAST  
  
Moonlight shone through the window of the quietest cell in Azkaban. A glistening tear rolled off a very hairy face onto a photo ... a photo of James, Sirius, Remus and Peter. Sirius Black raised a bony hand to wipe off his tears. ' You must be strong,' he told himself. 'You must be a man. Face the truth - your friends will never be with you anymore.'  
  
But the tears seemed to have minds of their owns, and kept rolling down. Sirius knew that it was no use trying to stop them. No one would ever care, anyway, whether he was manly or not. No one cared about him. Every one thought that he was a murderer, which he was not. 'Which is why you must be manly.' The voice came back again. 'The truth will always reveal itself.'  
  
Sirius knew this was true. But still ... Sirius flipped through the pages of his photo album again. That was James and Lily during their wedding. And there was Remus, and then James yet again ... several memories burned through his head as he looked at the photos again. Then he stopped to take a look at his favourite picture. The most recent picture taken. The couple was carrying their baby, Harry Potter.  
  
Sirius looked at Harry closely once more. The little hair he had was jet black, and was promising to be as untidy as James'. Well, James never combed his hair, so it would be less so. His eyes were his mother's eyes - big bright green eyes. He imagined the lightning-bolt scar on Harry's forehead that he had heard about before. The imagination made Harry look more special, which Harry was.  
  
The feeling that Sirius knew so well hit Sirius again. Sirius could not describe the feeling fully. The feeling was one of longing, one of love ... and it also made him feel very guilty. Sirius wanted to see Harry again. Now he had to be six years old already. It had been about five years since Sirius last saw him, just after Voldemort tried to kill him. And Sirius wanted to hold Harry, to take care of Harry, just like what his job as a godfather was.  
  
Sirius sighed. Hoping was no use. 'You must face the truth and not hope your life away,' Dumbledore's voice played in his head again. Dumbledore had said that to him when he caught Sirius staring at the Mirror of Erised.  
  
Sirius closed his photo album as the Harry in the picture started crying for some unknown reason. The longing to see Harry was back in his heart. It was stronger now. He could feel the disappointment and pain James would suffer if he knew that the one he had trusted to take care of Harry was now in Azkaban, wasting his life away.  
  
All of a sudden, the cell that Sirius was in faded away. Sirius felt as though he was sugar dissolving in a cup of water. He hadn't experienced this feeling for many years. He quickly stuffed the photo album in to his pocket so that no matter what happened, he could keep it with him. He was aware that he was floating in mid-air. He closed his eyes tightly. He knew what was going to happen. A whirlwind suddenly picked up. He was spinning around ... then just as he was getting dizzy, he felt hard ground under his feet. He opened his eyes and looked around him. He saw Azkaban behind him. He was astonished, but delight quickly overcame it. By some unknown way, he had apparated out of Azkaban! He was elated, but he knew he had to escape quickly before the dementors found out that he had escaped.  
  
He quickly changed into his canine form and paddled down the sea. He paddled for fifteen minutes, but besides getting his four paws wet, he got no closer in reaching land. He consulted a map of Britain that he kept with him all the time. The closest place to go was Shetland Islands. And that was already very far from Azkaban. He didn't want to think how long he would have to travel to reach Harry's house.  
  
At that moment a little voice at the back of his head scolded him, 'Are you a wizard or not? Use your brains!' It took a moment or two before Sirius realised that he could apparate. Being unable to do magic for such a long time, he had completely forgotten about doing any at all.  
  
But where could he go? His first thought was to where Harry was, but it was almost midnight. Harry would be asleep. He looked around him for an idea. He couldn't go back home because it wasn't his house anymore and there was probably someone staying there already. He wanted to go somewhere that someone he knew would be, someone who would trust him to be innocent. Then he saw it. The full moon. He knew where he could go.  
  
Once more, he apparated to the Shrieking Shack, a place he knew well. Remus wasn't there yet. As Sirius waited for him, he hoped that Remus wouldn't curse him. His plan had little chance of working if Remus did curse him. He wanted to try and make Remus believe him by communicating when he was a werewolf. As a werewolf, Remus understood Sirius' barking. In fact, he understood most animals. He didn't understand James though. Sirius laughed silently. He remembered the times when James got so frustrated because a werewolf never understood a stag.  
  
The doggy grin vanished suddenly as Sirius heard footsteps, breaking the silence in the Shrieking Shack. A moment later, the door to the Shrieking Shack opened and Remus walked in. He didn't notice Sirius as he turned around to close the door. At that moment, a tingle of excitement went up Sirius' spine. It was Remus Lupin! His old friend! He was so overjoyed he barked, then realised his mistake.  
  
Remus whirled around and gasped in shock. "Padf ..., no, Black, wha ... how ... I ... You traitor! You thought killing James and Lily and Peter and a whole bunch of muggles was fun, did you? Well, now ... now you are going to die yourself!" And he turned his wand on Sirius.  
  
***  
  
Lightning flashed and thunder boomed. The few pedestrians on the streets of Little Whinging, Surrey were hurrying back home. However, the occupants of Privet Drive, Number 4 had no knowledge of the storm outside; All of them were sleeping peacefully.  
  
Except for one little boy. In the cupboard under the stairs, young Harry Potter was lying awake. He had no idea what was going on many miles north. He had no idea there was a place called the Shrieking Shack. He had no idea that there were two people named Sirius Black and Remus Lupin.  
  
However, he was aware of many other things. He was aware of his own problems. He had been sent to bed at 9pm, but still could not sleep. This was largely due to the wounds that Uncle Vernon Dursley's black leather belt had given him.  
  
As he tossed and turned in bed, Harry knew that this was going to be one of those sleepless nights. He didn't know why Uncle Vernon had beaten him. Hadn't Uncle Vernon seen with his own eyes that it was Dudley who broke his very precious, very expensive compass? But he, Harry, was the one who was beaten.  
  
But Dudley never got beaten anyway. He was Uncle Vernon's own son. Uncle Vernon obviously loved him more than Harry.  
  
This thought made Harry's young heart ache once again. Harry had always longed for love more than anything else. He wanted to have someone that would love him and he could love back. Someone he could have an exceptionally close friendship with. 'But that someone will never come,' Harry told himself bitterly, with tears trickling down like a mini- waterfall. 'There is no such person on earth, so forget about it.'  
  
***  
  
Although it was expected, Sirius couldn't believe that one of his closest childhood friends had just turned his wand on him and was about to kill him. He watched fearfully as Remus opened his mouth to say the curse.  
  
It wasn't like Sirius was scared to die. Far from it. He just wanted to live with Harry, and if he was dead, it was a very hard thing to do.  
  
Sirius' immediate response was to yap, "No! I'm innocent!" But as a man, Remus could not understand Sirius.  
  
Sirius closed his eyes and prayed silently that if he died, he would at least be sent to wherever James was now. Then he waited anxiously for the curse to come.  
  
But it never did. Sirius opened his eyes gradually, one eye at a time. For a moment he didn't see anything. The next, something landed on his back. Remus wasn't Remus anymore. He was Moony.  
  
Padfoot turned around hastily and jumped on Moony. In response, the werewolf fought him back. The two fought for a while before Padfoot, panting noisily, admitted defeat.  
  
Padfoot had realised something when he and Moony had been fighting. His idea of making Moony's mind less wolfish and more human wouldn't work. When he had been in school, it had taken Padfoot, Prongs and Wormtail a few months to make Moony trust them. Now, Padfoot only had one night all by himself. It wasn't going to work. Furthermore, he wasn't very strong. He might die any moment.  
  
Moony growled again for another match. Padfoot inwardly sighed. At least he didn't have any wounds. Not yet. He barked back a reply of agreement and decided that if he died, it better be quick.  
  
After losing matches 6 times in a row, Padfoot could barely stand anymore. He had scratches and bruises all over and a wound on his left hind leg. And Moony was still uninjured and, if possible, had more energy than before he had fought.  
  
Padfoot barked back a reply to Moony's question that Padfoot dreaded: Do you want to fight? He waited impatiently for Moony to pounce on him, wondering if this would be the last time he would ever see another living creature again.  
  
The werewolf howled, then it all happened in a flash, Sirius didn't see it, but in place of Moony was Remus!  
  
Sirius' heart skipped a beat. He was both shocked and relieved one moment. The next, he could feel the transformation from dog to human.  
  
The second he changed to human, the wand was at his head.  
  
Sirius took a step back as he said, "Remus, I'm innocent. Cross my heart."  
  
However, Remus obviously did not believe him. "Prove it," he said, without a note of emotion in it.  
  
Sirius faltered. He hadn't thought this out yet. He racked his brains for a solution to his problem. Then he finally hit on it. He rolled back the sleeve of his left hand. "If I am a Death Eater, there will be the Dark Mark burned into my hand."  
  
Remus' eyes glared at him coldly, as if he wished Sirius had not said anything so that he could be sent back to Azkaban. Then he looked down and examined every inch of his hand. After checking it, he still did not believe that Sirius was a Death Eater. It could be invisible.  
  
Sirius, beside him, seemed to read his mind. "Use Aparecium," he helped.  
  
Remus used the spell and checked the hand thoroughly. 'He isn't a Death Eater!' Remus realised. Relief washed over him. His closest friend alive had just proven he wasn't a Death Eater! Remus was so glad he dropped his wand and collapsed onto Sirius. "I missed you, Padfoot, I missed you so much," he sobbed into Sirius' black hair.  
  
"Ow! Get off me!" Sirius yelled good-naturedly.  
  
Remus stopped hugging Sirius and laughed. "You are just the same old person I ever knew," he said, healing Sirius' injuries.  
  
"Old? What do you mean by that?" Sirius spluttered in indignation.  
  
Remus didn't answer his question. He couldn't. He was laughing so hard in happiness that he couldn't say a word.  
  
"Chill, boy, chill. I'm not going to stand here and do all the talking for you," Sirius said, but he was chuckling too.  
  
Remus wiped off his tears of joy and said, "Come with me to my house. You can tell me your story there." And both of them disapparated.  
  
***  
  
Harry felt a tingling sensation go up his spine. He felt sure that very soon, something good would happen to him. 'Maybe that person is coming!' Harry thought excitedly. He sure hoped that whoever the person was, he would be Harry's best friend.  
  
***  
  
Sirius held up a set of pyjamas. "Remus, do I have to wear this?"  
  
"Of course! I only have 3 sets of pyjamas, one of them is in the laundry basket, and I'm wearing the second set now, so you have to wear the third set. Anyway, what's wrong with it? I personally like it. Isn't it nice?"  
  
Sirius glared at him. "Are you turning out to be gay? Everything's wrong with it! It's frilly, it has little flowers for buttons and it is pink and white! Need I say anything else?"  
  
Remus sighed. "Nobody's going to see you! All my other guests I have had before had to wear that, so now it's your turn!"  
  
"I'm not wearing that! Ever!"  
  
"Then wear your clothes! They won' t be very comfortable to sleep in though, they're all sticky with blood and sweat. You haven't changed them since the first day you entered Azkaban"  
  
Sirius heaved a sigh in defeat. "Fine, fine. I'll wear this ... thing. But DON'T LOOK AT ME!"  
  
"I won't. I'm going to bed now."  
  
Sirius made a big effort to wear the set of pyjamas. When he was done, he quickly switched off the lights, threw his clothes on the floor and crept under his blanket.  
  
Half an hour later, Sirius still couldn't fall asleep. He looked over to where Remus was lying. Remus wasn't snoring. He couldn't be sleeping yet.  
  
"Remus? Are you sleeping?" He broke the peace of the night.  
  
"No. Too many things are on my mind. I can't help but think: Why did you kill Peter if you are not a Death Eater?"  
  
Sirius snarled at the mention of Peter's name. In a tone that froze Remus' blood, he answered, "I didn't. He's still alive."  
  
Remus was shocked. He had expected any answer but that. Sirius was a man who always told the truth. If he said that Peter was alive, Peter was definitely alive. "But many people saw you kill him!"  
  
"Remus, answer my question. Who was the smallest of us all? I mean among me, you, James and Pettigrew?"  
  
"It was Peter ..." Then it dawned on Remus. Peter was the one who killed all those people! He had placed the wand behind him, killed all those people, chopped off his finger and transformed into a rat!  
  
The clouds covering the moon moved, and moonlight shone through the window, lighting up Remus' face. Sirius could read his face perfectly. "Exactly. You got it," he said, and proceeded to explain everything to Remus.  
  
***  
  
"Done." Remus dusted his hands and watched his owl fly off towards the clouds, carrying the letter he had just written to Dumbledore about Sirius being innocent. "Rise and shine, Sirius!"  
  
Sirius rolled over and yawned. "Give me 5 minutes to stretch." And he promptly fell asleep again.  
  
"Sirius, wake up! No 5 minutes for you!" Remus said, poking Sirius in his ribs.  
  
"Ow!! Fine, fine, I'll wake up!"  
  
Remus went down the stairs and prepared breakfast for Sirius. He noted that he had to buy more food.  
  
"That's all I have?" Sirius groaned, staring at the bowl of cereal on the table.  
  
Remus looked up and grinned. "Well, I had a lot of food yesterday, but some ghost unfortunately came and ate it all. So now that's what you have."  
  
"Okay, whatever," Sirius grumbled. He had snuck down the previous night and raided the refrigerator.  
  
When Sirius had finished breakfast, something struck him. It really hurt, but ... he turned to Remus. "I ... I have to go now. I have to go see Harry." A big lump formed in his throat.  
  
Remus turned to him. The same thing had just hit him too. "Yes, you have to. Don't think too much about me. Have fun with Harry," Remus replied, his eyes glittering with unshed tears. This was too much for both of them. The next moment, they were hugging each other tightly, tears running down their cheeks. "I never thought I'd say this to you, Remus, but I will miss you. Forever."  
  
Then they pulled away from each other. The reunion was over. Sirius turned into a gigantic black dog and apparated to Privet Drive.  
  
***  
  
Sirius walked around outside Privet Drive, Number 4 in his canine form. He had no idea how to get into the house. Lily had talked to him about her sister's family before. "They live in Little Whinging, Surrey on Privet Drive, Number 4," she had said in disgust. "Never go there. They are horrible Muggles."  
  
Just then, he became conscious of the sounds of laughter coming from his right. He realised that it was coming from the playground near the house. Many children were playing there. Maybe Harry was among those children. He sprinted to the playground on all four limbs.  
  
When he reached the playground, he groaned. He would never be able to find Harry among all these children. Firstly, there were so many of them. Secondly, many of them had black hair and green eyes.  
  
As Sirius walked back, he noticed a boy sitting one the bench, obviously left out of the group of children.  
  
He too had black hair and green eyes. But unlike all the other children, there was a lightning-bolt scar on his forehead.  
  
The boy was Harry Potter.  
  
~~~~~~  
  
A/N: Well, that was the first chapter! It was on the short side, only 6 pages long. ::sigh::  
  
This may not seem to be in the right categories at first. However, in the later chapters (somewhere around the middle), the categories it is in (Action/Adventure and Romance) will be more right..  
  
Can you see the drop-down menu on the bottom-left? That is where you review. Guesses, Constructive Criticism, Comments, Suggestions, anything else except for flames are welcome. Any flames will be ignored (You won't even get a reply back when I post my replies to your reviews in the next chapter.) 


	2. Determination of Love

DETERMINATION OF A STAR  
  
Summary: Sirius escapes from Azkaban to try and find the then only 6 years old Harry Potter. Just as Harry has begun to find true love and friendship, Sirius is taken away from him.  
  
Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. All resources are acknowledged in the Author's Note below.  
  
This chapter is dedicated to *DramaQueen* for being the first to review this fic!  
  
~~~~~~  
  
CHAPTER 2 - DETERMINATION OF LOVE  
  
Sirius shut his eyes hard, and then opened them again. He simply could not believe his eyes. This boy with the famous scar, this boy who had features so alike James and Lily Potter's had to be Harry Potter.  
  
But it was impossible. Could this scrawny boy be Harry Potter? Could this boy with sleeves five times the size of his hands be Harry Potter? Sure, the sleeves were extraordinarily long and puffy, but he was still really bony.  
  
Sirius took a few steps to Harry and yelped; He had trodden on a sharp stone and it was now lodged in his foot.  
  
Harry turned around and saw Sirius. His jaw dropped open and his face paled. Sirius wondered what he had done wrong -- Harry was backing away from him. Suddenly, Harry screamed.  
  
Only now did Sirius realise what was happening -- Harry was afraid of dogs.  
  
The children who were playing heard Harry scream and looked up. Then one enormous boy who did not look like he could even fit into the large clothes Harry was wearing swaggered over. He was clearly the leader of the children.  
  
"So, Harry, scared of a little puppy, are you?" the boy smirked, with his hands crossed across his chest. Sirius had to fight down the boiling anger in him -- how dare this boy call him a little puppy?  
  
The other children -- or more precisely, boys -- now walked over too.  
  
"What a scaredy-cat! You aren't even fit to be a boy," the leader sneered.  
  
"Scaredy-Cat! Scaredy-Cat! Harry is a scaredy-Cat!" the other boys sang.  
  
Sirius fumed. This kind of teasing would not hurt much if Harry were old enough. But he was not. He was a tiny 6-year-old who would feel quite hurt from this teasing.  
  
But Harry did not appear to be a normal 6-year-old. There seemed to be an invisible barrier around him that warded off the singing. Instead of paying any attention to the boys, he looked straight at Sirius' eyes.  
  
'Luckily I'm not a stray dog,' Sirius thought. 'Harry would be bitten in a few seconds.'  
  
"You probably do not understand me, but if you do, I have something to tell you: Do not listen to these boys," Harry told Sirius softly. Sirius barked back his agreement.  
  
"I think you do understand me, clever dog," Harry said again. "So I want to ask you a question. Are y -- " He was cut off by the leader's voice. "Oh, so he's actually friends with the little pup," he drawled. The other boys stopped singing and laughed.  
  
Harry must have known something bad would happen, or he would not have shouted, "No, never, Dudley, never! I'm not a friend of this -- this little pup!"  
  
"Hahahahaha ..." Dudley laughed cruelly. Sirius was furious. All he wanted to do was punch this fat guy's nose. Then they would see who would be the one laughing.  
  
"Stone him!" Dudley yelled to the boys who were watching.  
  
Sirius watched in horror as the boys all picked up stones from the ground and aimed them at Harry. Although their teasing could not hurt Harry, surely stones could.  
  
Stone after stone hit Harry. His eyes were shut hard, and he was curled up as small as possible on the ground.  
  
When one stone hit Sirius on his muzzle, he got even angrier. He wanted to pounce on the boys, but decided against it. After all, that might mean the end of his relationship with Harry which had never begun. And anyway, he did not want to stone in his foot be lodged more tightly.  
  
Instead, he growled softly, "Felabol!" It was a simple transfiguration spell, but a useful one for that moment. Within seconds, all the rocks turned into bubbles. The bubbles fluttered down and popped gently on Harry's skin.  
  
"What is happening?" All the boys murmured.  
  
"I don't know ..."  
  
"Something bad ..."  
  
"Just so typical of Potter ..."  
  
"RUN!!" Dudley screamed. "RUN!!" And all of them ran, with Dudley in the lead.  
  
"Thanks," Harry turned to Sirius. "I barely got hurt. Just a little bruise on my shoulder here."  
  
He rolled up his sleeve rubbed a little purplish-red spot. But Sirius was not looking at it. "How did you know it was me?" he barked.  
  
What he said must have somehow shown up on his face, because Harry understood what he said. "I just ... I felt some kind of ... power from you. Some kind of force," Harry replied, after thinking hard.  
  
Sirius was stunned. He had not expected this answer. Harry could sense his magic!  
  
"I felt it before too ... a few times, really ... during all those times something funny happened though ... sometimes it was because of me, like the time Dudley was chasing me in school and suddenly I found myself back on Privet Drive ... but other times I just felt it, like when I went to King Cross Station last year ... I was just standing at Platform Ten and then I felt it ... and I feel it a lot at Mrs Figg's house ..." Harry continued.  
  
Sirius knocked himself hard. He had to be dreaming. Harry was still young. He could not possibly do magic. Maybe he could sense it, since he was a wizard, but to do magic? He must have apparated to actually go to a totally different place! It was simply impossible! How could he have done that?  
  
Harry's voice broke into his thoughts. "I was asking you just now before the Dudley's gang started throwing stones, are you hurt? You yelped just now, before I saw you ..."  
  
Sirius lay on his side so Harry could see the stone better. Harry evidently saw it, because the next moment Harry was trying to pull the stone out.  
  
"Don't worry," Harry said softly. "When I pull it out, it will not hurt much." He used both hands to tug at the stone again.  
  
However, after much tugging and pulling, the stone was still stuck. "It is pretty deep," Harry said. "I'll bring you to Mrs Figg. She will know what to do." He walked out of the playground, with Sirius limping behind him.  
  
Sirius let Harry pull him up. "Mrs Figg? Could that be Arabella Figg?" he barked to himself.  
  
"Hmmm ... I think so. I forgot her name, but that sounds a bit like it," Harry said.  
  
Sirius gasped. "You understand me?" he barked again.  
  
"I suppose so," Harry said absent-mindedly. Then he noticed what he had just said. "I understand you! But -- But you are a dog! That is not possible! Unless it is just another one of those strange happenings ..."  
  
"Strange happenings?" Sirius was curious.  
  
"Oh, just funny things happening now and then ... except they usually happen when something bad is happening ... like when Dudley's gang chases me ... or Aunt Petunia makes me wear the worst of the worst clothes ... maybe you came because Dudley's gang was about to throw stones at me ..." Harry said.  
  
"Oh, I see ..." Sirius barked back. He really wanted to tell Harry that he was a wizard, and explain why these things happened, but he knew that Dumbledore had made sure that Harry did not know it, and it was best to listen to Dumbledore.  
  
"We're here," Harry announced. Sirius looked at the house and groaned. There were flowers everywhere. Flowers all over the garden, flowers all around the windows, flowers on ledges outside the windows, flowers decorating the door ... Yuck!  
  
Harry raised up a hand. "No!" Sirius barked loudly. Some memories were hurting him now ... memories of the days Arabella used to be his girlfriend ... memories of the time they broke up on their last day in Hogwarts. It was all over a little problem, but now Sirius did not want to see Arabella anymore. He could not face her and the truth.  
  
Harry looked at him. "Why not, doggie?" he asked.  
  
"Because ... it's a secret! And don't call me doggie!" Sirius barked. "My name's Padfoot!"  
  
"Oh, don't be silly, Padfoot," Harry said, and pressed the doorbell.  
  
"NOOO!" Sirius barked.  
  
Harry sighed. "Oh, Padfoot, it will be nothing. The only thing I have to warn you is that Mrs Figg is a cranky old woman. She told me she is a widow, but somehow I personally can't believe she was married."  
  
'Old?' Sirius thought to himself, feeling very offended. 'Arabella's the same age as me!'  
  
"Padfoot," Harry said. "One thing, if you smell any cats in the house, don't make a fuss. Mrs Figg's house always smells of cats, but there are usually no cats there. Okay, Paddy? Can I call you that?"  
  
Sirius gave him an awkward look. 'Paddy' was what his friends used to call him.  
  
"Alright, and yes," Sirius replied. He paused, then said, "She is taking an awfully long time to open the door, isn't she, Harry?"  
  
"Oh, she's always like that. Don't worry, nothing bad is happeni --"  
  
Just then, the large oaken door opened. "Hi, Harry!" came a croaky voice from behind the door. The lady who had opened the door stepped out.  
  
'Well, this is definitely not Arabella,' Sirius thought to himself. 'She's too old.'  
  
The lady was very old. Her grey hair was tied up in a bun, she had wrinkles all over her face and hands and had a bent, stooping back.  
  
"Hi, Mrs Figg," Harry replied cheerfully. He looked down at Sirius. "This is Mrs Figg," he told Sirius.  
  
Mrs Figg's eyebrows rose slightly as she looked at Sirius. "Or better known as Arabella to my friends," she smiled. "But that does not matter, does it? You can't talk to me anyway."  
  
Sirius looked at this Mrs Figg in astonishment. Could it really be the Arabella Figg he used to know? Her name was the same as hers. She talked like her. She moved like her.  
  
"This little doggie's name is," Harry grinned as Sirius shot him a huffy look. "Padfoot, or Paddy."  
  
"Paddy?" Mrs Figg looked like she was getting an electric shock. For a moment she forgot Harry was in front of her. "But it can't be ... no, it can't be Sirius ... oh, it could be, it was in the Daily Prophet ..."  
  
Sirius was confused. She could not be the Arabella he knew, because she was so old. But she had to be the one too, since she knew about Padfoot.  
  
"Er ..." Harry did not know what to say.  
  
Mrs Figg jumped when she remembered Harry was there. She looked down at Harry and said, "Sorry, Harry, you're too young to understand. Why don't you come inside? It will be more comfortable."  
  
"Can Paddy go inside too?" Harry asked.  
  
"NO!" Mrs Figg yelled. "I mean yes, he can come inside," she said in a calmer, but wheezy tone.  
  
The moment Sirius stepped into the house, he wrinkled his nose. This place smelt of cats! Mrs Figg brought them through a narrow corridor. On the walls of the corridors hung pictures of cats. Sirius thought they were weird. The pictures were not moving. Surely Arabella Figg could not take unmoving pictures of cats in her house, there was too much magic in it. She was one person who thought magic could solve everything. Her house probably had more magic than Hogwarts.  
  
But then, again, it might not be that magical Arabella Figg. It might just be a plain old muggle Arabella Figg.  
  
Then he remembered something Harry had told him. He felt magic at 'Mrs Figg's house'! The pieces clicked together like a jigsaw puzzle in his mind. Mrs Figg was the Arabella Figg he knew and she had been taking an Ageing Potion. Ageing Potion always smelt like cats after all. She could have bought those cat pictures from a muggle shop. They did not look very real anyway. The flowers everywhere were probably just to make her seem older. And she had taken so long to open the door because she had tried to stop as much magic as possible.  
  
With this in mind, Sirius had to face his next worry. What if Arabella did not believe he was innocent?  
  
The trio passed by many doors through the corridor before coming to a spacious rectangular living room. There were two large dark green sofas facing each other that could seat three people each. A maroon coffee table was in the middle of the sofas. A light breeze blew in through a glass sliding door with cream-coloured curtains drawn back, and led to the backyard. At the other side of the room were two tables, with a space between them where the narrow corridor was. On the left table was a television.  
  
"Sit down, Harry, I'll go get some drinks," Arabella said, before leaving the room. Harry sat down comfortably.  
  
"You'll have to sit on the floor, Paddy," Harry told Sirius. Sirius sighed and stopped trying to get onto the sofa.  
  
"You know, Paddy," Harry said thoughtfully. "This house is very queer. I always feel that sense of force coming from all directions in here."  
  
"Oh, really?" Sirius asked, but he was not paying any attention to Harry. He was only wondering what he would do later after Harry left. Would he go off with Harry and not let Arabella know that he was innocent? Would he stay and try to show Arabella that he was innocent? If so, how would he make Arabella believe him? And would they be friends again? He had many questions, but none could be answered.  
  
"Yes, really," Harry said. "Mrs Figg's friend's house too. I've been there before. It had less of the force but it was still there. It's all very ..." Harry stopped talking when he realised Sirius was not paying any attention to him at all. There they sat quietly, Sirius pondering on his unanswered questions, and Harry wondering what Sirius was thinking about.  
  
As the time passed, Sirius started to feel very worried. What was Arabella doing that took so long? Could she be owling the Ministry of Magic? Getting drinks could not possibly take that long, could it?  
  
Just then, Arabella walked back in again, holding two tall glasses of - mmm... -- Butterbeer!  
  
She gave Harry one glass and sat down on the other sofa.  
  
Harry took a mouthful and smiled. "It's a special drink only Mrs Figg and I know about," Harry told Sirius proudly. "It's called Butterbeer, and it's superb!" He looked down at Sirius. "Paddy, why are you drooling?"  
  
Sirius suddenly became aware that his mouth was open and the fur below his mouth was a bit wet. He quickly licked off the saliva and closed his mouth.  
  
Harry drank half of his glass of Butterbeer and put the glass down. Arabella took a mouthful and put her glass down too.  
  
A serious expression cast over her face. "Where and when did you meet this dog, Harry?" she asked sternly. "Tell me the truth."  
  
Harry looked surprise at her expression. "I found him at the playground just before I came here. He yelped and then I realised that he was hurt -- wait a minute, I'll show you ..."  
  
He told Sirius to lift up his paw. Since Sirius had left the playground, his paw had not hurt at all. But now, when he lifted up his paw, a pain like that of a million arrows going through his skin shot through him.  
  
"See, there's a stone there," Harry told Arabella.  
  
At that moment, the doorbell sounded, followed by a long loud rapping on the door, which sounded like there were hundreds of fists knocking the door, then the sounding of the doorbell again.  
  
"It's Vernon again," Arabella sighed. "Come Harry, you have to go, I'll take the stone out of Paddy's foot later."  
  
They walked out of the room. Sirius heard the door opening, and a man shouting really loudly at Harry. The door closed very soon but Sirius could still hear the man's curses.  
  
A few moments later, Arabella came into the room. She took out her wand and waved it. In an instant the stone disappeared. Another wave and the wound was healed.  
  
Before she could say anything, she suddenly started ... changing. Her eyes grew slightly larger, her nose sharper and her lips fuller. Her hair grew longer and turned black. Her skin turned tanner and her wrinkles disappeared. Her back straightened and she was much taller, only about a head shorter than Sirius. The ageing potion was wearing out. "Luckily Harry just left ..." she muttered to herself.  
  
Sirius' heart felt as though it had just melted. He realised how much he loved Arabella. The memories passed through his head once again. All he wanted to do was jump up and kiss her. He wished he had not broke up with her.  
  
Arabella, however, did not seem to be thinking the way he was. She said harshly, "Change back now, Sirius."  
  
Sirius had expected this. He transformed without hesitating.  
  
Now the things Sirius had been thinking just now had switched to another person -- Arabella. She took a step back. He looked very different, but he was still that person that she had known and loved for so long. Her eyes turned softer, and more like Arabella's.  
  
Her conscience took over her love, though, and she pointed her wand at Sirius. Cords shot out of her wand and bound his wrists and ankles together tightly. He fell onto sofa and could not move an inch.  
  
"I can't believe I ever had a relationship with you, Sirius," she said coldly. "Too bad, you can't even use your wand now. I'm going to owl Cornelius Fudge himself. By tonight, you'll be back in Azkaban."  
  
"No! I'm not guilty! Ask Remus! Ask Albus! Albus Dumbledore! Both know it!" Sirius yelled. Arabella, however, just waved her wand again. Sirius spluttered. A smelly, moulding old sock was in his mouth.  
  
Arabella went out of the living room. She came back ten minutes later, carrying a tawny owl, which Sirius recognised as her old one, Jumoa. She tied a letter onto Jumoa's thigh and held him out into the backyard.  
  
She had not released Jumoa yet when another owl came through the door. It was the colour of coffee, and was carrying a letter with a Hogwarts crest on it.  
  
Arabella, looking surprised, put down Jumoa on the coffee table and took the letter. The owl ruffled its feathers proudly and took a drink from Harry's cup of Butterbeer before taking off again.  
  
Arabella scanned the letter, and her jaw dropped. She re-read it again, before turning to Sirius.  
  
She hesitated for a moment, then said in a shaky voice, "Sorry, Sirius." Sirius looked at her, bewildered. She waved her wand another time and the ropes and sock went away. The letter fell out of her limp hand. She literally fell onto Sirius, her upper arms leaning on his shoulders for support. Sirius looked at her in puzzlement and picked up the letter. After reading it through, he understood her sudden strange behaviour. The letter was from Dumbledore to Arabella about Sirius being innocent. It contained all the details of what really happened to Pettigrew and how Sirius had escaped. It also told her not to harm Sirius in any way if she met him.  
  
"Sirius, I'm really, really, sorry," Arabella apologised again. Sirius felt her warm tears drop down on his arms. He patted her uneasily, not knowing what to do.  
  
Luckily, Arabella quickly got a hold on herself and pulled away. She wiped off her tears fiercely and sat down beside him.  
  
"So ... you got out of Azkaban," she said, after an awkward silence.  
  
"Yeah ..." Sirius said.  
  
"Congrats," she said again. There was another minute of silence, then she said what both of them had been thinking.  
  
"I missed you so much, Sirius, after we ... separated," she said in a firm tone, trying to keep the tears away.  
  
"Me too. It was all because you didn't want to become an Animagi to help Remus that we broke up. It was so silly!"  
  
They looked at each other straight in the eyes. An invisible bond between them was creating. They leaned forward together. Their lips got closer and closer ...  
  
But Sirius was not ready for this yet. "Imagine what Harry would say if he was still here," he laughed, trying to break the tense moment.  
  
Arabella pulled away and laughed too. She looked relieved, but she still pulled Sirius' ear.  
  
"Ouch! What did I do?" he yelled.  
  
She grinned. "You made the lamest joke of the century!"  
  
"Yeah, but really imagine Harry here!"  
  
"Harry ... he is very close to you, you know, Sirius," Arabella said.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Yes. I've known him since he was born but he is still considerably shy towards me. And he doesn't dare talk to the Dursleys at all."  
  
"The Dursleys!" Sirius said their name in repulsion. "Don't talk to me about them. They -- They spoil my mood." He said the last sentence with great difficulty. If he had made the lamest joke of the century, he had just made the understatement of the century too.  
  
"Okay ... Sirius, have you thought about what you are going to do? To avoid the Ministry of Magic and the Dementors?"  
  
"I don't know. I only know that I'll stay with Harry as long as possible. I'm his godfather. That job was given to me by --"  
  
There was a screech from Jumoa. Arabella took off the letter on his thigh and Jumoa flew back through the corridor.  
  
"You need to know what to do. You need a plan. You can't expect everything to go with the plan, but that's better than not knowing what to do at all, you know?" Arabella said.  
  
"Of course I know! If the dumbest person ever knows something, obviously the smartest person ever will know it!" Sirius replied.  
  
"And what do you mean by that?" Arabella said, in an offended tone.  
  
"I don't know ... and I never will," Sirius replied. "Ow! Stop!" Arabella was aiming little playful punches at him.  
  
"Ooh, are my punches getting too hard for tiny Sirius?" Arabella grinned.  
  
"Tiny? What do YOU mean by that?"  
  
"Look at you! You're all skin and bones!" Arabella picked up a skinny arm. "If this isn't tiny, I don't know what is!"  
  
"Well, make me fatten up!"  
  
Arabella laughed. "Which means you want to eat again. Your appetite never changes, does it? Greedy pig!"  
  
"Hey, I only had a bowl of cereal this morning!" Sirius conveniently forgot to tell her he had raided the fridge.  
  
"And how much did you eat last night?" she could see through him. "Come!"  
  
She took up the two cups of Butterbeer and led Sirius through the corridor which smelt of cats.  
  
"Why are you taking Ageing Potions?" Sirius wanted to know.  
  
"Oh, it's my disguise. You know, Dumbledore told the group of us to have a disguise ready at all times? And yours is an animagus form? Remember?"  
  
"Ah, yes. But I thought you took Polyjuice Potions of your various friends?"  
  
"I used to. But have you realised there are no friends living near me anymore?"  
  
"Good point. By the way, who did you marry?" he tried to sound casual, but failed terribly.  
  
To his surprise, Arabella chuckled. "Nobody. It was just a little lie I created for Harry. You don't think I would break my promise to marry you, did you?"  
  
"I hoped you wouldn't. But I can't be too sure with people like you ..." Sirius dodged another punch in his direction.  
  
Arabella opened a door and Sirius walked in. "Mind your head," Arabella said carelessly.  
  
Sirius stared at the plates hanging in mid-air.  
  
Arabella shrugged. "I had little time to stop as much magic as possible when Harry came, so that he wouldn't sense all the magic. I couldn't clean it all up." She pointed her wand at all the plates and things and everything started moving.  
  
"Of course, I only could stop some magic, not all. This entire house is held up by magic. I didn't like the design of the house, so I changed a lot of things and now if there was no magic, everything would just tumble down. Oh, look where you're going."  
  
Sirius quickly stopped before stepping onto some needles knitting ... something.  
  
"Muelavier," Arabella said. A scrubbed round wooden table zoomed up to Sirius. Four chairs danced up after it.  
  
Sirius had barely sat down when Arabella came bustling up and prepared an enormous meal.  
  
"Wow ..." Sirius' mouth watered as he looked at the meal. Numerous kinds of meat filled the dishes. Sirius had a liking for pasta, so there were several different dishes of pasta too. A mountainous non-meltable ice cream sundae was set there as well. A warm drink called Bidelite, which was even better than Butterbeer, made by Arabella herself, topped it all.  
  
There were horrible foods too, though. "Parsley?" Sirius poked at one leaf with his fork in disgust.  
  
"Hey, it's good for you too," Arabella said, sitting down. She picked up a book near the stove and flipped through it. "See, it is good for lungs, stomach, bladder and liver. The leaves contain chlorophyll, which is a great breath freshener. The leaves also contain Vitamin A and Vitamin C, the Vitamin C being more than that in an orange. No, Sirius, let me finish. Parsley is also full of minerals, iron, calcium, potassium, thiamine, niacin and riboflavin. It flushes kidneys, helping to stimulate urine when the kidneys are moving slowly. It is a good carminative, which helps the body release a cramp-producing gas in the stomach and intestines. Let me finish, Sirius. It also helps to remove excess mucous from the body. It can help to expel parasites and tapeworms in the body and is used to enhance menstrual flow. SIRIUS, I'M NEAR THE END! CAN YOU LET ME FINISH? In short, parsley breaks up any blockage and keeps things moving."  
  
"Well, you can talk, but can you eat it?" He speared one leaf with Arabella's fork and pushed it closer to Arabella. She drew back. "Unfortunately, no. The parsley is meant for you, not me." She grinned.  
  
"I'm NEVER EATING PARSLEY!" Sirius exclaimed.  
  
"If you won't eat parsley, you won't eat or drink anything else. No, not even Bidelite." Arabella started clearing up.  
  
Even parsley could not stop Sirius from not drinking Bidelite. "Fine, fine, I'll -- I'll -- I'll --"  
  
"Yes?" Arabella said, putting down the food again.  
  
"I'll -- I'll eat parsley!" Sirius choked.  
  
"Good boy, good boy," Arabella laughed at the look on his face. "Come."  
  
She speared a leaf of parsley with his fork and put it right in front of his mouth. "Eat."  
  
Sirius stared at the parsley for a minute, then forced himself to eat it. "Ewww ..." Sirius made a face and chewed the parsley.  
  
Arabella watched him eat. He was like a cute little boy to her. Chew, chew, chew, chew, chew, chew, chew, swallow. After Sirius had forced the leaf down, he pretended to puke.  
  
"I can't eat anymore!"  
  
"No Bidelite!" Arabella urged him on.  
  
"Okay, okay."  
  
After a lot of moaning and fake puking and grumbling, Sirius finally managed to finish all the parsley.  
  
"Finally!" Sirius exclaimed and started eating his food. Not that it could be called eating. He simply threw the food into his mouth and swallowed it without chewing at all. He finished his food very quickly.  
  
"Amazing!" Arabella said. "You take an hour to finish seven leaves of parsley, but less than ten minutes to eat six dishes of food."  
  
"It's natural."  
  
"Oh yes. I forgot you were abnormal."  
  
Immediately, she started cleaning up the dishes. Sirius leaned back onto the chair and smiled. Arabella was still the same old person he had known all his life.  
  
***  
  
"Arabella, do you know where I can sleep? "You haven't shown me my room yet."  
  
They had just finished supper, during which Sirius had an extra Bidelite he had begged for.  
  
Arabella dumped the dishes into the sink and frowned slightly. "Come with me. I'll try to find a room -- or more precisely, a bed."  
  
She led Sirius out of the kitchen and up a burgundy staircase. When he reached the second floor, Sirius took in a deep breath.  
  
Arabella laughed at the look on his face. "Yep, it's big."  
  
A more appropriate word would be 'colossal'. There were at least a hundred rooms on the floor!  
  
Sirius gaped at it before saying calmly, "Now I know why you need magic to hold up this house. The second floor is fifty times the size of the first floor!"  
  
"More. It's fifty-three times. There is so much magic even the worst kind of muggle can feel it. I had a lot of trouble trying to make the house look proportionate from outside, though. There were too many charms in each room already."  
  
She showed Sirius all around the floor. There were a few libraries, two dressing rooms, a room to test how many charms could be put inside one room, a duelling room, a gymnasium, a Bidelite-making room, a room with only a fireplace inside, which was the only fireplace in her house connected to the Floo Network, a study room, many storage rooms and lots of other rooms, most of which were empty.  
  
The last room was her bedroom. "It's the biggest room in my entire house, and the only one with a bed in it," she informed Sirius. "So there's absolutely no bed for you to sleep."  
  
"Aww, Arabella, I have to sleep on a bed, don't I?"  
  
"Nope, you can sleep on a sofa ... unless ..."  
  
The same thought struck both of them at the same moment.  
  
"The bed is big enough for both of us, I suppose," Arabella said slowly.  
  
"Yeah ..."  
  
***  
  
That night, in Arabella's room, a commotion was going on.  
  
"DON'T LOOK AT ME!!" Arabella shrieked, trying to change inside her wardrobe.  
  
"Why don't you go to a toilet?" Sirius asked.  
  
"I always change here! Why don't YOU go to a toilet?"  
  
"I have no idea where it is! And I do not need to change in a different place, YOU ARE THE ONE WITH A PROBLEM!"  
  
"THEN DON"T FACE ME!! AND DON"T LOOK INTO A MIRROR!"  
  
"HAVE YOU REALISED YOUR ENTIRE WALL IS NOTHING BUT MIRRORS?"  
  
The argument had risen to shouts.  
  
"THEN CLOSE YOUR EYES!" Arabella shouted again.  
  
"AND HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO CHANGE?"  
  
"CHANGE LATER, THEN, WHY DON'T YOU WAIT FOR ME FIRST?"  
  
Sirius was just as stubborn. "WHY DON'T YOU CHANGE LATER?"  
  
"THIS IS MY ROOM INSIDE MY HOUSE! YOU SHOULD BE HAPPY I'M LETTING YOU CHANGE IN HERE!"  
  
"WE CAN CHANGE AT THE SAME TIME, JUST HIDE BEHIND THIS!" Sirius flung a blanket at her.  
  
"Good idea." Arabella magically made the blanket float in front of her and changed behind it.  
  
"Of course, all my ideas are good."  
  
"Don't boast. Remember when we were in our second year you tried playing a prank on Snape by coaxing bees to fly all around him? And you ended up in the Hospital Wing with bee stings all over your body?"  
  
"Don't remind me," Sirius groaned. "I still have a little scar on my hip. And anyway that's only one out of a thousand pranks which backfired."  
  
"There were others too," Arabella smiled in the remembrance. "Like when you tried hanging all the staff's underwear on the ceiling of the Great Hall, and a lump of fart dropped onto your head."  
  
"I didn't know Dumbledore's underwear had not been washed yet," Sirius moaned.  
  
"And the time you tried pushing Snape into the lake and in the end needed to be rescued from the Giant Squid. And --"  
  
"I get your point! So not all my pranks worked --"  
  
"-- Most of your pranks did not work --"  
  
" - Whatever! And have you finished changing yet? I want to sleep." Sirius threw down his clothes into a laundry basket near Arabella's bed and plopped down on the bed, pretending to snore.  
  
"Don't change the subject! And yes I have finished changing already ... wait a while ..." A blouse flew across the room. "Oops, I didn't mean to throw it so far ..."  
  
The blanket covering Arabella raised, moved over the bed and dropped onto the bed. Arabella walked over and shook Sirius hard.  
  
"Don't go to bed yet!"  
  
"Ouch!" Sirius squinted open his eyes. Arabella was taking the laundry basket out of the room.  
  
"Where are you going?"  
  
"To the laundry room, of course."  
  
"I see ..." Sirius waited in silence for her to come back. If he had been told in his Hogwarts days that one day he would miss Arabella very greatly, he would have said that it was crazy; How could he ever miss her? But he had just realized ... Arabella was more than a little rag doll. She was someone he could love and care for, just like Harry. She was someone with emotions. She had a kind heart. She was a solid human being, exactly the same as him.  
  
However, he was not sure if he loved her. He had feelings for her, he could not deny that, but love her? He could not feel it at all. They were just friends, very good friends.  
  
The door opened. Sirius did not look at Arabella. He did not want to, for some reason. He heard the door closing, the room suddenly turned dark at the click of a switch, then he felt the bed wobble gently as a figure dropped onto the bed.  
  
At this point, Sirius had to look at Arabella. He felt the need to.  
  
Arabella was lying on her side. Her soft black hair was spread out and covered his shoulder. To Sirius, her hair had always represented him. His hair was black, his animagus form was black, and his life was very black too ... without any love, full of unfounded accuses, and now he probably had to go in hiding for the rest of his life. It was just not fair! He wondered why he did not just turn himself to the Dementors. It would be easier that way.  
  
'But what about Harry?' he thought. 'He needs you more than anything. He needs your friendship, love and attention. You can't just abandon him.'  
  
"Sirius, come closer," Arabella whispered. "I feel cold." She snuggled up to him. Sirius hesitated, then wrapped his arms around her.  
  
~~~~~~  
  
A/N: I'm really sorry, this chapter came out later than I expected. I tried writing as quickly as possible so that I could get it out in the same week as the first chapter, but I spent two or three weeks writing it. Bah bah bah!  
  
By the way, the parsley information was from If you want any more information on parsley (I don't see why you should), go to that website.  
  
As you probably know, the fifth book is coming out in mid to late June. If it says anything about Arabella Figg (but I really hope NOT!!), please remember that I wrote this before the book came out and the character will probably be different!! Bah!  
  
Oh, since we are talking about Arabella Figg, I have to tell you one thing, SHE IS NOT A MARY SUE! Some of you might know that, but people can get weird ideas ...  
  
Thank you to all these people who reviewed!  
  
*DramaQueen* -- Yup, I've updated, and this is it.  
  
Butler -- Wow, I'm so flattered, you actually put me on your Favourite Authors list!  
  
MerlinHalliwell -- Thank you very much.  
  
sk8reagle -- Yeah, sorry.  
  
scared sh$$less -- I've updated, so don't worry.  
  
CutieCherry -- Thank you, this is it.  
  
Please review! If your review is signed, I will review one chapter of one of your fics (if there are any). 


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